A series of winter storms rolling in over the next few days could slow that progress down.

Crews had to clear 7 feet of snow last week so they could start excavating a drainage pipe that undermined the highway.

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"They then worked through the weekend, excavating roughly 30 feet down to remove and replace the aging pipe," "Some of the next steps will include rebuilding and replacing the roadway above the drainage pipe. Crews will be working as quickly and efficiently as possible to repair this section of Kingsbury Grade, but because some elements of the repair work are weather and temperature sensitive, there is no definite date set for reopening."

A sinkhole where the drainage pipe crosses the highway developed last month, prompting the state to close the highway on Jan. 3. Workers replaced the pipe and patched the road, opening it three days later on Jan. 6.

However, heavy rain on Jan. 8 eroded around the patch and the state closed the main route between Carson Valley and Lake Tahoe.

In 2014, NDOT reconstructed a different section of Kingsbury Grade, making improvements to roadway surface, drainage, curb and gutter and more.

The current closure area is east of the reconstructed roadway, and not in the same area that was reconstructed.

The state already has scheduled a project to invest approximately $5 million to enhance roadway drainage and erosion control on this lower section of Kingsbury Grade in 2019. When open, this section of road is traveled by approximately 5,600 vehicles daily.